Welcome to the Dollhouse
by emisonxx
Summary: Oneshot. My dark version of 5x25. Emison


**Welcome to the Dollhouse - Oneshot**

** A/N: **Hey guys, hope you're all ready to see who -A really is...because I FUCKING AM. Anyway, I'm sorry I haven't been updating, I just finished my thesis film so my 9 months of hard work is finally over. I should have more time. Also, my brain is so fried that I'm not sure this is even good. This is not a pity party, I just really can't tell if this piece is actually good because I've been writing it on 2 hours of sleep over the last 4 days. But I really wanted to post it before the episode airs, so I'm going to read it in the morning and decide :p

This is my take on what would be an interesting way of doing "Welcome to the Dollhouse", Emison style.

Fair warning, the ending is a slight clue as to who I think -A is. Also, this is really dark. And not happy.

...enjoy?

x-x-x

"I should never have joked that orange was more of Hanna's color than mine," Spencer mutters as she shuffles her shackled feet towards the police detainment van. Police offers surround the four girls, and their fifth, most infamous, and guilty friend/liar is missing, unsurprisingly.

"No talking!" an officer barks as he grabs Aria's thin arm and yanks her forward as she winces.

"She didn't say anything you fucking pig," Hanna hisses at him while shuffling and another officer uses the butt of his gun to push her forward harshly.

Emily watches sadly and despondently, as she is the last one in their train of prisoners. The brunette wonders how her poor mother must be feeling, and then her mind wanders to thoughts of the blonde whose presence she was ripped away from earlier in that courtroom. Emily's stomach churned when she saw Ali choke back a sob seconds after the verdict was announced. She had to watch the girl she's loved since she was fourteen try to be strong and composed in front of everyone, and fail.

The guilt that Emily had felt when she saw Alison's resolve crumble will forever stick with her. She doesn't understand how things got _this_ bad. Things have been rough, but this is a whole new level.

"Get in!" another officer barks and Emily gasps as she feels rough hands shove her forward and she realizes she spaced out. Her ribs hit the side of the van and she winces. She manages to climb in the back of the van and sits down next to Hanna. They're being treated like animals, but she doesn't blame the officers- everyone thinks they brutally murdered their classmate. Everyone thinks they are manipulative, selfish liars.

Instantly, she feels a warm hand squeeze her own and she realizes Hanna has reached down and grasped hers, though both their pairs of wrists are handcuffed individually.

"We'll make it through this," Hanna whispers in a super hushed voice. It was strange how the once immature girl could step up and become a source of comfort when needed. Emily feels herself nodding but she doesn't believe this will end well. The worst part of all of this is that Alison is elsewhere, alone, while the four of them are together. The poor blonde must be frightened to death, Emily thinks sadly.

The doors slam shut and the four girls all release a breath they didn't know they were holding. There's no light in the cargo area of the van, only through the small barred window on the side.

"I can't believe this," Aria grunts as the van hits a sharp bump in the road and they knock against each other.

"Believe it, -A wants us locked away for a very long time," Hanna grumbles.

"Not helping," Spencer spits out quickly, eyeing the disgruntled blonde warily.

"Guys, where are they sending us? And why is Ali not here? Nobody has answered our questions," Emily says quietly, panic seeping into her voice as she tries to reassure herself that this isn't going to end with years in jail. She's also thinking about the violent bruises decorating Ali's skin, and how she can't protect her anymore. She keeps thinking about the way she lured Alison back to Rosewood and threw her to the police. It feels like all kinds of wrong, and she supposes this is her punishment for letting her angry emotions get the best of her.

"They're just taking us to another correctional facility, I think my mom at least argued for us to be sent somewhere safer than where Ali and Hanna were locked up," Spencer tells them.

"But what about Alison?" Aria pipes up.

"Are they sending her back there?" Emily asks in horror, her brown eyes widening and Spencer doesn't have an answer.

"Guys I know she's done a lot of terrible things but…you should see her in prison. I've never seen someone so scared," Hanna comments with such regret laced in her voice.

"Again, not helping," Spencer groans. "As if we all don't feel guilty enough."

"We should never have believed she was –A," Emily says, her voice shaking with accusation but the anger is stemming from her own guilt.

"Says the one who burst into a room and insisted we couldn't trust Alison anymore," Hanna snaps.

"Shut up Hanna!" Aria retaliates, unable to bear the thought of spending her life in prison, even if it was with the three other people she valued most in the world.

"You know you guys can keep getting mad at me but I'm just telling the truth-"

Hanna suddenly yelps sharply with the others as the van halts suddenly, screeching to a stop. It's quiet for a second, and then the girls hear a door slamming loudly, footsteps, and a blood-curling _scream_.

"Is that…" Spencer asks, her mouth wide open in horror and Emily's face drains of all color. They recognize the piercing screech almost instantly.

Aria scrambles to her feet as best she can while being chained up, and tries to look out of the barred window behind her.

"Oh my god you guys," Aria breathes, her chest tightening and her thoughts suddenly racing with inherent anxiety.

"Is she out there?" Spencer asks, panicked, her voice rising four octaves too high.

But before Aria can answer, one of the doors at the back of the van is flung open, and a person covered in all black from head to toe, hood up, stands with a rifle slung around their torso.

The four girls scream in sheer terror as they scramble in fright.

"Holy shit!" Spencer shouts in hysterics, her heart pounding in her chest. The haunting figure's face is covered by a mask and he/she/it flings the other door wide open, revealing a second hooded, masked person coming around the corner and throwing a person forcefully to the ground like a ragdoll. A blonde.

"ALI!"

Her name rips from Emily's throat in a terrifyingly loud shriek, and the brunette immediately tries to run forward, all thoughts of safety out the window.

"Emily no!" Hanna shouts as she grabs the brunette as best she can and tries to hold her back, her hands clawing at Emily's skin in an attempt to protect her.

"Ali get up, watch out!" Emily tries to warn her but its in vein- the blonde only manages to lift her head up weakly to make eye contact with the brunette for a brief second before the rifle is swung down hard on her head, knocking her out cold. She's still wearing the dress form the trial, and Emily looks on in horror as one of the figures rolls her over with their foot, and she sees that scar on her thigh slashed open, blood and dirt covering it.

"No," Emily cries, her breathing sporadic and harsh as she feels lightheaded. The two figures turn to face the girls and begin to climb onto the truck.

"No stop! Get away!" Hanna shrieks and the four girls being screaming for help, but its useless as the figures advance towards them, pulling out intimidating needles. One of them roughly grabs Emily by the hair before she can react. They bend her over and ram the needle into the back of her neck, injecting whatever poison is in there.

And then her world goes black.

"Emily!" Aria cries out, hot tears running down her face as she trembles against Spencer. The two watch as Hanna is next, and eventually the four of them are in a pile on the ground, unconscious. The two figures pick up and throw Alison's body into the van and slam it shut, leaving the five pretty little liars helpless and unconscious.

x-x-x

"Emily, wake up."

The brunette's eyes flutter open and her surroundings are all fuzzy, like the inside of her head. Colors blur together and shapes fade in and out. It feels like her brain is in cobwebs, and she can't really think, let alone focus. She feels a soft hand run through her hair, soothingly. As her eyes adjust to the dim light, she realizes she's in her bedroom. Home, sweet home. But her body feels so sore, and her head is making her feel uncomfortable, almost unpleasant.

Her brown eyes slowly move around, trying to locate someone, and then she sees blonde hair, and she recognizes that face- Alison.

"Ali?" she murmurs barely audibly- her mouth feels so dry she can barely speak. A little bit of peace begins to settle within her at the mere sight of the blonde.

"Shh, just rest," Ali says quietly, leaning in. "You need it."

"What happened?" Emily asks, trying to remember what day it is. She vaguely remembers the trial, and sitting there waiting for the verdict. Somehow, by the miracle of God, the blonde is here _with _her.

"You had a fever sweetie," Alison tells her, those bright blue eyes looking at Emily carefully. "You got so sick that you had a fever of 106.1. And then your fever broke."

"Fever?" Emily asks, and then she realizes she does feel kind of gross, her body feels like it was sweating. How did she get so sick?

"You were delusional, you kept screaming things about a trial," Alison coos softly, her fingers skirting across Emily's face gently, landing on her cheek. Her delicate digits stroke the soft skin of the brunette's face carefully.

"Delusional?" Emily's hoarse voice cracks. She looks down and sees that she's wearing a soft white tee and pajama shorts.

"Here," Alison hands her a glass of water. "Drink this, you'll feel better."

Emily smiles feebly and complies as she tries to sit up and grab the cup with her shaking hands, but her body still feels sore and moving is slightly problematic.

"Here I'll help you," Alison says softly as her hand goes to help steady Emily's back and she brings the glass to the brunette's lips so she can drink. "Better?"

Emily nods profusely, the water soothing her dry mouth. But she's caught off guard by the blonde's close proximity. Her body brushes against Emily's, sending shivers down her spine.

"Where's my mom?" Emily asks trying to remember still.

"She's visiting your dad, remember? You got sick, and I came over to take care of you," Alison says frowning, as if sad that the brunette has forgotten. "You don't remember?"

"I…" Emily's eyebrows crease as she tries to recall. It sounds too good to be true. "I'm so confused."

And she is. She has memories of a trial, of Mona's death, of Alison being convicted-

"But you…they found you guilty," Emily says wide-eyed, bits and pieces coming back to her like a distant dream.

"What are you talking about hun?"

The blonde looks at her questioningly, her gaze full of concern. Emily stares at her in pure confusion.

"You must've had a bad dream," Alison soothes her, playing with her hair again. "You were really delusional. It's okay, I'm here."

She leans down and kisses Emily's forehead, her lips lingering on the exhausted girl's head.

"Just rest okay?" Alison asks, kindness seeping into her voice as she looks at Emily lovingly, her eyes shimmering with adoration. "I'm going to go to the store, get some fresh air and food."

The brunette's mind is still hazy and she feels uncomfortable, she doesn't want to be alone. As the blonde starts to stand up and leave, Emily squeaks, catching Ali's attention. Sharp blue eyes whip towards the soft brown ones.

"Can you…can you stay?" Emily asks in a small voice, still fearful of rejection. But if Ali has been watching after her all this time, there's no way she'd reject her, right?

The blonde looks at her for a moment, and she looks hesitant. But Emily stares back with pleading, big brown eyes and the blonde's lips finally curve upward.

"Of course," Alison gives in and climbs back onto the bed, Emily scooting over to make room. She looks at Emily lovingly and kneels in front of her before she crawls under the covers. "You know I'd do anything for you right?"

The brunette nods, her heart beginning to beat faster with anticipation as Alison leans in.

"Good," she whispers, her lips practically against Emily's before she kisses her softly, sending butterflies straight to Emily's stomach with great surprise.

When the blonde pulls away, she sees Emily's caught off guard expression.

"Don't be so shocked," Alison says with a small smile. "I meant what I said. Those feelings weren't one sided. The other night, that was real."

Emily smiles gently as she leans forward and captures the blonde's lips with her own once more. She feels a little off, but it's probably cause she's sick. This feels nice, feels right. It feels unreal, like a total dream.

x-x-x

"NO!"

A broken cry of desperate protest spills from the _real_ Alison's lips. The blonde is distraught, her heart pounding out of her chest. The injured girl is trapped on her knees in a locked dog cage, and she barely has room to move around. She looks like an animal, her ice blue eyes darting around the room frantically.

"Please calm down," Spencer tries to reason, the brunette sitting on what looks like her own bed but she knows isn't. She's still in her orange jumpsuit, and Ali is still in her dirtied dress from the trial. This room looks like a replica of her Hastings-perfect bedroom, yet it's empty. She doesn't know where the hell they are, but she's tried the door several times and it won't budge. The windows are fake and there's no way out of this room.

She looks to Alison whose gaze is suddenly glued to a television screen on the wall of what seems to be live footage in "Emily's room". Her expression is simply distressed, her body shaking slightly from the emotion, and slightly from the throbbing pain in her leg. They can hear every word spoken, and Spencer is in shock at the doppelgänger sitting on the sweet brunette's bed. When Emily asks the blonde to stay, Alison just about loses it.

Her screams grow louder. "No, Emily don't! It's a trap!"

"She can't _hear_ you," Spencer says a little too harshly, almost flustered beyond words. "Will you please tell me what the fuck is going on? Who the hell is that?"

But her question goes unanswered as the two see Emily and the look-a-like kiss, and Alison suddenly grows silent.

"Ali!" Spencer barks after a few minutes, totally insensitively. "Who the fuck is that locking lips with Emily?"

"I don't know!" Ali grinds out miserably, the radiating pain in her leg and massive headache giving her added irritation. The scene in front of her on the screen is enough to drive her absolutely crazy. She knows she hasn't been the best to Emily, hasn't figured out her feelings, but she refuses to watch some imposter and psychopath take charge of loving the girl she knows she loves deep down. The frustration is building quickly.

"How do you not know? Don't tell me there's been a fucking clone running around and you know nothing about it," Spencer seethes. She had woken up in this room to Alison crying and holding her leg, whimpering on and on about how they were trapped in A's lair.

It turns out, according to Alison, she had been jacked from the police car driving her back to the other detainment center. The hooded figure had grabbed her from the car, and when she had resisted he/she slashed her leg open with a knife.

They weren't sure if either of the hooded figures were –A, or henchmen, but either way they began to panic. Ali had woken up in the cage and Spencer had looked dead on the bed. Neither of their friends were with them, and the TV screen had only turned on minutes ago when the fake blonde had entered Emily's room. This feels like a trippy nightmare.

Ali remains silent, hunched over on her knees, cramped into the tiny cage at the foot of the bed. She looks so defeated that Spencer feels a little bad for lashing out, but only a little bit. They're ultimately in this situation because of Alison.

"Ali, tell me," Spencer says a bit more patiently but her patience is wearing thin quickly.

The blonde hangs her head, refusing to look up. Her hands grip her leg as she tries to sooth the burning sensation from the jagged knife cut.

"I had a twin," Alison clarifies in a tiny voice, "when I was born. But she's dead, she's supposed to be dead."

"When, Ali. When did she 'die'?"

"When she tried to murder me when we were five," Ali says, a haunted look coming over her face. She struggles to get the words out, the memory so distant in her mind its as if its from another life. But seeing the scene unfold in front of her own television made it that much more real. "She tried to stab me. My dad got so mad, he beat her and I thought she died. That's what my mom told me."

"Hold up, so you thought your dad _murdered_ your twin sister who tried to murder you, and that he got away with it?"

"I don't know okay? To be honest, I was so young I don't really remember anything after she tried to stab me. My mom told me the story, told me that my dad took care of her, and I thought that was the end of things. They never brought her up ever again."

It made a lot of sense all of a sudden to the youngest Hastings—why Alison was so fucking screwed up. The blonde has been bred on lies and secrets.

"Is this who has been fucking with us the whole time? Is that –A?" Spencer almost yells, angry that they might all be tortured and killed by some twin that has never been heard of until now. This is the perfect setup for a horror movie.

"It doesn't make sense- why would she go after you guys?"

"Good fucking question," Spencer snaps. "Who is she? What's her name?"

"My twin was Courtney."

Suddenly the two are distracted by the TV screen going black. A message in hauntingly red letters appears.

_Maybe I'll let her keep Emily as a pretty doll to play with after I'm done with you all. - A_

x-x-x

"This house is a fucking death trap," Hanna whimpers as her and Aria stand huddled in the lobby of what looks like her house, but up the stairs is 'Aria's room.' "We're going to die in here."

"Hanna please, not now," Aria pleads as she inches forward to the front door. They had barely made it down the stairs without an ax falling right next to them, nearly slicing them in half.

"Do you think the others are okay?" Hanna asks in a whisper.

"I don't know," Aria shakes her head, her hand shaking and reaching for the door handle. When she touches it, nothing happens. So she cautiously pulls down, opening the door and revealing a dark, black hallway. "Do we go in?"

"Yeah. Besides, we don't die first."

"What?" Aria asks, her eyebrows furrowing as she looks at Hanna incredulously.

"The slut always dies first in horror movies. We all know that was Ali."

"I don't think it's gonna be that easy," Aria mutters. "Besides, none of us will live cause that's always the virgin."

Hanna snorts, stifling a laugh, and the short brunette looks at her strangely. She pauses and asks, "Seriously? What is so funny about that?"

"It's just that, Emily is a virgin."

"But, Maya-"

"No, didn't happen. Close, but no. Paige, no. Even Ali that night, no-"

"What night?"

Hanna becomes quiet suddenly, realizing that was told to her in confidence.

"Great, so Emily's going to live and we're all fucked," Aria grumbles as she yanks Hanna with her into the dark hallway. The two of them inch their way forward, panicked, when suddenly BAM-

The door slams shut behind them and the two girls scream.

x-x-x

Emily thinks she hears a distant scream, but she's not sure. It just feels like her ears are ringing.

"What's wrong?" she hears the blonde by her side ask. 'Alison' is curled up by her side, her arm slung across Emily's torso and tracing circles on her exposed midriff skin.

"I think I still just don't feel 100%," Emily sighs, exhaustion creeping into her voice.

"You were really sick," the blonde whispers, her voice sounding sincere and frightened. "I was so worried."

"I'm sorry," Emily replies softly.

"It's okay," Alison murmurs with a small smile. She lets her hand continue to touch Emily's soft, tan delicate skin on her tummy. "You're okay now."

x-x-x

"Ali, oh my god," Hanna gasps as her and Aria get up from the floor. They were shoved into the room from behind and landed face first on the ground, only to see Spencer and Alison. The door had slammed behind them all too quickly, and they too recognize the obvious fakeness of the bedroom.

"What's going on Ali?" Aria asks in fear and Ali keeps shaking her head.

"I _don't _know," Ali protests.

"This is –A's sick version of a dollhouse," Spencer growls.

"There's an area that looks like Hanna's house and my room," Aria informs them. But the three are distracted by Ali releasing a sob and grasping her leg tightly.

"What's wrong?" Spencer asks, kneeling by the cage.

"N-n-nothing, it just hurts," Ali whimpers, her body stiff from being stuffed into such a cramped space. The TV flickers back on revealing Emily's room once more and the girls turn, seeing double. Hanna and Aria gasp. The spunky blonde narrows her eyes and marches right up to the screen to examine.

"Who the fucking hell is that?"

x-x-x

"You know you meant the most to me, right?" 'Alison's' lips move slowly and purposefully against Emily's neck, her hot breath sending chills down Emily's spine.

"You kept saying that," the brunette shudders, her arm under 'Alison' wraps around the blonde, holding her closer. She loves the feeling of Ali's body pressed tight against hers. Emily lowers her own head to kiss the top of Ali's, and as she does the faintest thought that Alison doesn't smell like quite like herself passes through her mind. She wonders how long the girl has sat here and watched her without leaving to take care of her own hygiene.

"Because it's true," Ali insists as she props herself up and leans her body over on top of Emily's side. She drapes her thigh over Emily's and slips it right between the brunette's legs, causing Emily to exhale shakily. The blonde brings her to the bottom of Emily's soft shirt and slips it under, feeling the smooth skin beneath her fingertips.

The brunette looks at her with such adoration, but she wonders when Ali's eyes took on the faintest hint of green in them. Still, she wastes no time in lowering her hands to Alison's hips and dragging the blonde to be completely on top of her.

"Kiss me," Alison breathes out as she leans her forehead against Emily's and their lips collide as Emily leans up and smashes their lips together, fighting hungrily for dominance. Her tongue slides smoothly into Ali's mouth, hungrily exploring

"Mmm, shit," Ali moans softly as her hand trails up Emily's torso and slides over her breast, palming it gently. Emily's nipple hardens under Ali's touch and her own hands slide up and down Ali's back gingerly, desperate for friction.

"Is this okay?" Emily asks hesitantly, her breathing staggering as her hands dance at the waistband of Ali's jeans.

"I want this," Alison assures her a little too rapidly, as she smiles a little too sweetly. "I want you."

x-x-x

"Stop, I can't watch this," Hanna says in disgust, turning her back to the screen showing Emily and the blonde beginning to touch each other heavily, their fingers exploring each other's bodies. She whips her head around to see the real Alison trapped in the tiny cage with her legs drawn close, her face scrunched up and contorted in discomfort as she tries not to cry loudly. Her eyes are squeezed shut tight and her breathing is hard and loud.

Spencer observes that the cage takes away any sense of empowerment the blonde has. It makes her feel like a hunted _animal_. –A really knows how to break someone, and it's fucking horrifying is what it is.

This hurts more than any physical damage Ali's incurred so far. She knows it's not Emily's fault, but to see her with someone else, with a practically total _stranger_ is making her nauseous.

"You're telling me that the girl in there is your dead twin Courtney?" Aria asks incredulously as she continues to stare at the scene on the screen, unable to separate herself from the insane scenario. "Is she A?"

"There was more than one hoodie guys, and the last message we saw didn't make it sound like she was –A," Spencer pointed out. "Made her sound like a partner."

"What is the point of this? I don't get it," Aria crosses her arms uncomfortably as and the room is silent as they hear a particularly loud, sexy whimper emit from Emily. "Why are we watching this?"

"Yeah, no, this is so wrong," Spencer shakes her head and Hanna jumps at the sound of a sharp inhale. She looks down to see Ali trembling, fighting to hold back more tears. All the color has been drained from her face. And then it clicks within Hanna- she suddenly gets it.

"-A is torturing Ali," the snarky, intelligent blonde quips as the revelation dawns on her, her eyes widening. She observes the caged beauty wince at the words.

"Clearly," Spencer snorts, her arm gesturing towards the setup and referring to the cage and knife cut.

"No, A is torturing her by flaunting Emily with someone else in front of her. That's the worst kind of torture sometimes. Ali, you have feelings for Emily, right?" Hanna asks sharply and the helpless blonde glances up in surprise.

"Y-y-es," Ali stutters, desperate to tell the truth but painfully avoiding eye contact. She has nothing to lose though. She's about to lose the very person she loves anyway, or at least watch Emily lose her-…oh god she can't think about _that_.

"Real feelings, Ali, like emotions," Aria clarifies with narrow eyes. They've all doubted this girl for so long that these words spilling from her mouth sound like _lies_, even if they are the bold truth. But this is the blatant truth that Ali feels in her heart, this is the bright love she's kept secret for so long.

"Yes!" Alison protests more forcefully this time, hoping her genuine side shines through. Her previous tough bitch exterior is long gone, leaving only a vulnerable and suffering girl to face the consequences. The three girls watch their trapped friend's face begin to break. "I-I do…love her."

They look on hesitantly.

"I'm _in_ love with her."

x-x-x

"Mmm," the blonde mewls as Emily fiercely tugs on her bottom lip with her teeth, her hands grasping her ass and pulling the blonde against her tightly. Her center rocks against Emily's thigh dangerously, the pressure giving her pleasure as she squirms teasingly.

Cold blue eyes flash with arousal as Emily flips the two of them and hovers possessively over the blonde. Alison sexually arches her back, lust dripping from her voice as she moans, trying to pull the brunette down on top of her.

"You're so different like this," Emily comments softly, tilting her head to examine the girl beneath her. And it's true, the blonde has never been this bold before in her sexuality. All their previous encounters had been shy and hesitant and wonderful in their innocence.

"Really?" Alison asks with a smile, "what makes you say that?"

And those six words suddenly bring back a sharp memory for the brunette.

x-x-x

"Why is she doing this to me?!" Alison protests bitterly as she shakes the cage she's trapped in. "I've never done _anything_ to her, I didn't even think she really existed until now!"

"Courtney, or Emily?"

"Courtney obviously," Alison seethes. "Emily is innocent. She doesn't know what's going on."

"Maybe she's butthurt that she didn't kill you, all those years ago," Hanna remarks dryly.

"_So_ not helping," Spencer quips with an eye roll.

"She was always trying to ruin me, now that I'm remembering it," Alison comments bitterly. "She tried to steal all my clothes, play awful pranks on me, she even locked me in a hot car with all the windows rolled up. We were barely 3 years old."

Alison doesn't remember the moment too clearly, but she remembers the distinct fear she had felt as the car had heated up like a furnace on a hot day. That's how her lungs feel right now, they feel like they're tightening and squeezing the life out of her, like they had in that burning hot car.

"The question is, where has she been hiding all these years?" Aria mutters. The girls are silent as they ponder, and the sexy sounds from the television make them sick to their stomach. Ali closes her eyes in disgust as the blonde pushes Emily's shirt up and kisses her toned abdomen while lying under her, the brunette holding herself up. She can't watch this any longer, it's making her blood boil just thinking about it. But it catches her eye that the brunette on screen suddenly looks hesitant.

"I know where!" Spencer breaks the silence with a loud declaration and the three girls look at her questioningly. "Radley."

x-x-x

Emily remembers that moment distinctly on the phone. The rain had been falling steadily, and her heart had been pounding furiously in her chest. When the automatic voice message from jail had come on the phone, Emily had been anxious to speak to Alison. Their conversation had gone south quickly, because Emily simply _hadn't_ known what precisely to say.

_"Really?" Alison had asked, misery and pain dripping in her voice. "What makes you say that?"_

And then she had apologized, claiming that's not why she called.

The tension between them had been so thick, so full of apologetic sincerity and regret. Emily had wanted to apologize over and over again, but at the same time she was still angry. She was still upset about all the lies, the entire mess they were in- none of that would have happened had the blonde just told the fucking truth. And it had hurt Emily's head that after all that time, after everything, she still loved her.

But the important part right now is that she _remembers_. She remembers that rainy night conversation, she remembers _everything_. She remembers the verdict, the arrest, the police van ride, and the bruised up blonde on the ground. She remembers the hoodies, and suddenly she knows that was _not_ a dream. She knows this is not _her _Alison. But, who the _fuck_ is this?

"Emily?"

The brunette's eyes lock with the blonde's baby blue ones, and suddenly danger is coursing through her body, her nerves radiating with fear.

"Hey, where'd you go?" the blonde strokes her face gently, and her eyes narrow as the brunette flinches away. "Don't you want this?"

Because, really, who is this _stranger_? And where is _her_ Alison?

The way those blue eyes now pierce her is terrifying, and they look a little too green, a little too sea blue to be her Ali's.

But the brunette swallows thickly. Her body is shaking violently- not from pleasure, but rather from pure fright. She needs a plan, and fast.

"I want this," Emily protests quickly, and hopefully convinces the anonymous blonde that's the truth. "I'm just scared."

"Haven't you ever slept with someone before?" the fake blonde asks, curiosity emerging in her tone.

"Never," Emily answers truthfully, but she hopes it also reassures the imposter in front of her that she's edgy and nervous because she is just scared. She sees those devilish eyes flash with ecstasy and she's not sure what sick game is going on.

"My sweet mermaid," Alison purrs as she grinds her hips down on Emily, lowering her lips to her ear. "I'll make sure you don't forget this."

x-x-x

"It makes sense. Your mom was on the board of trustees there," Spencer continues with her theory. "She could have hidden Courtney there all this time."

"The two yellow dresses," Alison thinks out loud, realizing all the signs from her childhood and recently had led up to this.

"But what about Bethany? How does she play into this?" Aria interrupts, confusion twisting her thoughts.

"What if Bethany and Courtney knew each other?" Hanna throws in, the three girls trying to figure out the mystery while Alison tries to forget the nasty scene on the screen. If someone was trying to drive her insane, they were succeeding quite well. Her head is swirling with thoughts of the brunette and how it's someone else's hands on her.

"Can I take these off?" Alison hears Emily say. She lets out a shriek of frustration and punches the bars on the cage violently, rattling them. Maybe if she focuses all her inner energy she'll be able to send a telepathic to Emily warning her. Surely Emily would realize the girl in front of her wasn't Alison.

"Jesus Ali," Spencer chastises but she's never seen the blonde so distraught- her teeth clenched tightly with her chest heaving.

"She's about to make the biggest fucking mistake of her life," Alison nearly screeches. All rational thought is now out the window because all Ali can think of is that someone is going to be taking Emily's virginity, and it's not going to be her. And she's going to be forced to watch every minute of it. And even worse, Emily _thinks_ it's her.

x-x-x

_"Can I take these off?"_ Emily asks, her heart pounding as her hands hover timidly above the blonde's zipper on her jeans.

Soft hands harshly bring Emily's down onto the denim fabric, and a sharp inhale is heard as Emily moves her hand slowly across the tight material.

"Yes," the blonde barely manages to breathe out as the brunette plucks the button open and unzips the jeans. Her hands come down to rest on the sides of Alison's hips as she presses her weight down on the stranger, kissing her hard. The blonde won't let go though, she holds the back of Emily's head tightly, forcing her tongue inside her mouth harshly.

"I wanna taste you," Emily forces the words out begrudgingly but as believable as possible as she pulls away. Apparently she's convincing enough, because fake-Ali nods hastily, anxious to have Emily down on her. The brunette slides down carefully and pulls hard on the jeans. The blonde wiggles out of them and lies in just her panties. Emily lowers her head and looks for the final sign she needs to force herself away- the scar on Ali's leg.

But, of course, there is none. And Emily supposes she was holding out for the slight hope that this _was_ Alison, and that she's just extremely delusional at the moment. But this is most definitely _not _the girl she's in love with, because her thighs are too smooth, unmarred and blank. Her legs are porcelain, void of any scary marks of violence.

Emily's eyes flicker with the knowledge, and as she glances up, she sees the blonde's chest heaving and eyes shut.

In one swift move she lunges for fake-Ali's throat and wraps both her hands around it, squeezing harshly. The blonde's eyes fly open, startled. But the fear in them is gone in a flash and anger appears instantly, a fire ready to fight back.

"You're not Ali," Emily growls, squeezing as tightly as possible. Tiny hands fly to her wrists, clawing harshly at the skin and drawing blood. The pain doesn't phase Emily, adrenaline coursing through her in waves.

"Get off me bitch," the blonde chokes out but Emily forces her body down on the blonde harder, hoping to really suffocate this girl into unconsciousness so she can escape.

"Where is she?!" Emily shouts, her face close to the imposters' whose face is contorting from lack of oxygen. "Where's Alison and who the hell are you?"

But the stubborn blonde doesn't respond, her defiant glare withering as she slowly slips into an unconscious state.

"Tell me!" Emily demands sharply, her hands shaking even as she strangles her deceiver. But she decides she's demanding the truth from now on, no more bullshit-even if that means going against her gentle nature.

"F-f-fuck y-you," the strangled blonde sputters before her head falls limp. As Emily continues to finish taking care of her, a bag is thrown over her head and she is torn away from the blonde in seconds. And then she hears it, ever so faintly. She hears a faint _scream_.

_"Emily watch out!" _

It's faint, faint sound and she _knows_ that's her Alison calling out to her. But as she tries to pull away, her vision void because of the bag, a loud bang goes off- and she let's out a terrifying and frightening howl of pain.

x-x-x

"Oh my god, did –A just shoot Emily?" Aria rages as they watch the TV, and Hanna turns fifty shades paler.

"Is she moving?" Alison whimpers, her heart stopping when she hears that sound and sees Emily collapse on the ground.

"Holy shit you guys," Spencer runs up to the screen and looks closely. They can hear Emily crying loudly, the bag tightening over her head and her body writhing. "He shot her in the foot."

Ali gasps, extremely worried about Emily and her fate. But she watches helplessly as –A stalks out of the room, leaving Emily squirming painfully on the floor with a bag over her head and an unconscious or dead blonde on the bed (Alison isn't sure- and quite frankly, in her state of anxiety and shock, she doesn't care).

But the door to Spencer's room is flung open again, and there's no escaping for anyone. This is the beginning of the end.

**x-o-x-o**

**Hours later.**

When Emily awakes after passing out from the pain, she feels confined. The room is dim, really dim, and she can't feel a thing. It looks like…a replica of Alison's basement? Once she tries to move, she realizes she is helplessly trapped and tied to a pole in the room.

"Em, are you awake? Are you okay?"

The brunette hears _her_ voice, but a wave of nauseating pain hits her and she gasps as she feels her injured foot radiate pain through her body.

"Ali?" Em asks in a tiny voice laced with a whimper. "Where are you?"

"Right here," she hears a worried voice respond somewhere to the side of her. Emily tries to turn her head to look, to find her _real _first love, and out of the corner of her eye she sees the angelic blonde approach her carefully, worry etched into her face.

"I'm right here," the blonde says soothingly, bringing her hand up to stroke Emily's gentle face. As she does so, Emily leans in to her touch all too quickly. The brunette only has a split second to realize her mistake as the ends of the blonde's lips curve up into a cruel smirk. A sharp slap is delivered across her face, causing her head to whip to the side with force. Tears prick at her eyes from the stinging pain in her cheek. "I've heard of kinky, but strangling during sex? Come on now Emily, I'm not even into that shit."

"Who the fuck are you?" Emily snaps, her patience gone.

"I'd be a little more polite to me, if I were you," _Courtney_ smirks, and her smile is terrifying. But Emily sees the handprints on her neck put there by her, and she's proud of herself. However, as if on cue, Emily hears a door open above the stairs and there's a scuffle.

A muffled cry is heard before a body is shoved down the stairway, a blur of blonde hair toppling down onto the dirt floor.

"_Ali!_" Emily exclaims in horror. The blonde's mouth is gagged and her wrists are tied behind her back. Her face is bruised already with purple tainting her left cheek. And there will definitely be more bruises after that fall, Emily thinks uncomfortably. The blonde's eyes widen as she sees Emily.

"MmEmm-" Ali tries to say as she struggles to sit up but her gag prevents anything from being audible. Emily sees the jagged knife scar ripped open on her leg- that's definitely the girl whom she loves so much that it hurts.

"I believe you two know each other," Courtney taunts as she goes over to Ali and yanks the blonde up by her hair, a strangled cry caught in Ali's throat. "Hello sis, long time no see. Surprised to see me?"

Alison stares with pained eyes, willing her long lost sister to disappear. Their faces are inches apart from each other.

"Sister?" Emily breathes out, in between pants because _god_ her foot hurts like a motherfucker. The bullet may still be lodged in her foot for all she knows. She wouldn't put it past –A to let her suffer like that.

"Didn't she tell you?" Courtney asks innocently, undoing Alison's gag with one hand, the other hand fisted in Alison's hair angrily. "Or is that just another secret she kept from you too?"

"I didn't know," Alison insists as soon as the gag is off her, her blue eyes softening and looking at Emily desperately. "Em I didn't know she was alive. I thought she died when I was younger-"

"God, you're really fucked up aren't you? You believed _our_ dad killed me, and then you continued to live life like everything was normal?"

"What was I supposed to do?" Alison spits out. "You tried to fucking stab me."

"I didn't get away with it then, but it looks like I got away with it this time," she sneers as she gestures and looks at Alison's ripped open leg. The blood has dried, but the cut looks bigger and uglier than the previous scar.

"Don't hurt her again," Emily grinds out angrily, observing her blonde's drooping eyes from exhaustion. She can see Alison's body slumped with defeat and physical pain. Those soft baby blue eyes flash with gratitude towards the brunette, but they quickly flash with pain as the grip in her hair tightens.

"You don't give me orders," Courtney laughs as she yanks on Alison's hair harshly, causing the blonde to squeal and sway on her feet, her face twisting with anguish. "Got it? The sooner you're all out of the picture, the better."

"What are you going to do with us?" Emily asks, completely willing to do what it takes to divert the attention off of Alison.

"When you're all gone, I'll take her place. I'll become Alison DiLaurentis. I'll come back and have solved the murder of Mona Vanderwaal, and Bethany Young. Jason can kiss his life goodbye, and so can Melissa Hastings. And I'll finally get to live a life free of fucking _Radley_."

She throws Ali harshly against a wall.

"I'll be a better you than you could ever be," Courtney cruelly teases her. "Emily fell for it once. If your _mermaid_ can't even tell the difference, who else will be able to?"

"She did," Alison argues back.

"Sure she did, but not before I got to explore your little mermaid's body," Courtney leers. Emily draws her mouth into a tight drawn line.

"Shut up Courtney," Alison says in a low threatening voice.

"Was it fun? Watching me do what you've only ever dreamed of because you were too _afraid?_"

Emily feels like vomiting- did Alison _see_ what happened? Oh god, did Alison watch her start to get it on with her fucking psycho sister?

"Stop it," Ali warns, her emotions beginning to get the best of her. Her eyes flicker between Emily's horrified face and her twin's smug one.

"I'll show you again if you want," Courtney wiggles her eyebrows and Alison's face darkens as her eyes narrow and she threateningly steps towards her counterpart, though her hands are still bound behind her back.

"_Don't_ touch her," Alison scowls but there is an underlying pleading tone along with fear.

"I'll touch her if I want to," Courtney snaps and takes a stride towards Emily. Her hand possessively lands on her cheek, caressing it and dragging her touch down her neck to above her chest, pausing. Emily's body tenses, her eyes wide with surprise and panic. She's afraid of this girl, this _monster_. "What a good little doll."

"Don't," Alison pleads, her eyes watching Emily's eyes dart around the room anxiously.

"Don't what?" Courtney questions, her fingers slipping into Emily's shirt as the brunette's face twists with discomfort, her eyes screwing shut.

"Don't _touch _her, _please_," Alison begs helplessly, and Courtney smirks widely, pleased.

"I love when people beg," she cruelly admits as she pulls her hand away. She strides over to Alison, grabs her, and whips her around. She pulls out a pocket knife, and cuts the rope on Ali's wrists, holding her sister tightly still. "If you try to fight back, I'll bring this knife right down into Emily's heart. Do you understand?"

Alison nods rapidly, and Courtney digs the knife into the palm of Ali's hand, causing the blonde to cry out in a high pitched scream.

"Ali!" Emily calls out, her brown eyes shimmering with desperation. She can't stand to see Ali's eyes screwed shut in pain, her chest pulsing with misery.

"I said, do you understand?" Courtney asks in a sharp voice.

"Yes," Alison whimpers, tears escaping her eyes and Courtney throws her on the ground with brutal force, kicking her in the stomach while she's down.

"Stop it! Stop!" Emily yells. But she's bound to the pole, unable to move.

"I'll be back," Courtney promises with a terrifying glare. She exits up the stairs with a loud bang.

"Ali are you okay?" Emily asks immediately, pulling at her restraints.

"I'm fine," the blonde says as she tries to be strong. But she's afraid, she's fucking scared shitless. She gets up and goes over to the brunette, standing face to face with her. They look at each other, both their eyes tired and worried. But there's love there, love and relief.

"I was so scared when I realized it wasn't you," Emily says softly first, her voice thick with sincerity. "I-I-I, didn't want that with her-"

"I know," Ali reassures her softly, her blue eyes shimmering with understanding. It makes her feel better to actually hear Emily say these words, even though they've been unspoken all this time. She leans in and kisses her cheek quickly, lingering for just a minute. "I know."

She then goes around to try and undo the ropes on Emily so she can be free from the pole.

"I'm scared, Ali," Emily's raspy voice squeaks out, and she looks so little. This is a nightmare, and she wants to wake up now. She wants to wake up back in the summer of when they were fourteen and their biggest problem was Noel Kahn's party.

She's surprised when the ropes drop and she steps forward, freeing herself from the ropes. There's blood on her wrists, and she realizes the cut on Alison's hand has bled onto her skin in the process of freeing her. Emily doesn't have time to think as Alison hurls herself into her arms, knocking both of them backwards into the wall. The brunette doesn't even care if her foot is throbbing, she can't even remember that it hurts when Alison is holding onto her for dear life.

"Thank god you're okay," Alison whispers, clutching onto the brunette.

"Me?" Emily says in a half laugh, laugh cry. "Thank god _you're_ okay, I was so scared."

"I was afraid she was going to…with you…and I…watch…I couldn't…" Alison tries to say but she doesn't realize for a moment that she's crying. "And then I was afraid –A really shot you and killed you-"

Emily cuts her off with a passionate kiss, her body trembling as her lips meet Alison's in a needy, panicked kiss that is soon soothed by Alison's tongue snaking into Emily's mouth. She soothes Emily's fears by pressing her body with need into the brunette, the curves of her body fitting against Emily's. This feels _familiar_. Even though the circumstances are wrong, Emily is 300% sure that _this_ is right, that this is the girl she's been waiting for her whole life.

Every fear they have, every apprehension and concern, every trace of any problem is momentarily suspended as they get the moment they've waited for. Even the other night in Ali's bed was nothing like this earth shattering kiss. Alison moves her lips slowly once more against Emily's, kissing her as if it's just the two of them in the world and nothing else matters. Because, if they're going to die, than nothing else does matter.

"No matter what happens Em," Ali whispers as they pull apart, her lips still dangerously close and practically moving against Emily's as she speaks. "Please know that I love you. I always have. I just wanted to protect you. I know it's too late, and that I don't deserve you but please know-"

"Stop Ali," Emily shakes her head as she pulls the blonde closer still, kissing her gently and pouring all of her love into the fragile kiss. "Don't talk like that."

The blonde whimpers as the brunette nips at her bottom lip gently and soothes it with her tongue. "I'm sorry…I-I'm s-sorry…"

The blonde's body shakes as she begins to cry, every nerve becoming undone as the floodgates open and she begins to cry, hard. She feels heavy, and weak, and Emily senses her exhaustion. She slides down the wall and brings Alison with her. The blonde is in her lap between her legs, curled up and sobbing against her chest. The brunette tries to steady her own breathing, but she knows this could very well be the end of them.

Alison looks up at her with puffy eyes and the brunette leans her forehead down against the blonde's, her own breathing ragged. They try to breathe for a moment, but Alison gives up and seeks comfort by burying her head in the brunette's neck.

"They're probably watching us," Alison warns, her voice raspy.

"Fuck them-"

The door in the basement bursts open and the three others dash in the room, eyes wide.  
"Alison! Emily!" Hanna exclaims with relief as she surveys the area. "What happened to you guys?"

"It's a dead end you guys," Spencer groans.

"What do you mean?" Ali asks in a small voice?"

"We've been to every end of this goddamn house. It's a fucking trap, there's no way out."

"Nothing makes sense, all of our bedrooms are here, Hanna's kitchen, Ali's basement, my living room-"

"So it's a fake house," Emily whimpers with horror, holding Ali closer to her chest. "With no way out."

_"That's right."_

The girls turn to the stairs to see Courtney descending the stairs, dressed in a black hoodie, black pants, black shoes, and black gloves. All. Black.

"Almost identical," Aria breathes out with fear, referring to the twins.

"Except black is way more my color than hers," Courtney taunts.

"You can't fool us," Spencer accuses, crossing her arms. "You're not –A."

"I'm not," Courtney smiles sadistically. The door above her opens with a creak. "I just get to reap the repercussions-"

But she's cut off by a bullet to the head, her body shriveling up as a loud bang goes off, blood splatters, and she falls, dead, down the stairs.

"Oh my god," Alison yelps with the girls as her hands twist in Emily's shirt tighter, her tiny body shaking with Emily's on the floor in the corner. Spencer, Aria, and Hanna hold onto each other as another figure dressed in all black comes down the stairs. Emily's body protectively curves Alison away from the angle of the stairwell, shielding her from another bullet if it were to come.

The figure descends into view of the girls. The stance and build of the body in the dim light looks like a guy, but the long blonde hair and mask make it hard to tell.

With great dramatic pause, the mask slowly comes off. The girls instantly recognize the dark, yet innocent features- and their hearts all sink and break simultaneously with fear and regret.

**_"Welcome to the dollhouse, bitches."_**

_x-x-x_

_Who do you think -A is? On the real show, I mean. I wrote this one-shot with my theory in mind. People have asked me on here multiple times who I think is -A, and if I'll incorporate that into what I write, so this is my response. _


End file.
